Frozen Yogurt
by Kirra kills
Summary: because sometimes, it's good to have friends. even if they DO interupt your reading...


It was a beautiful day on Destiny Islands. The sun was warming the beaches and there was a mild breeze blowing to alleviate the heat. The various hang outs around the island were full of teenagers, out to make the most of their summer vacation and families gearing to get some entertainment for their young children out of the lovely weather. The day was barely halfway through and people were out having fun in full swing. It almost seemed as if the whole of the younger generation couldn't stand to be inside. Or, almost everyone. There was, in fact, one young man who chose to stay inside on such a day. That would be Riku.

Yes, he preferred the cool darkness of his own room to the bright almost-too-cheerful merrymaking of the others outside. He liked staying inside on days like these. The surrounding area was quiet for once, devoid of the usual noisy chatter of the kids that had abandoned the neighborhood for the beach. Because such an event didn't happen often, he had decided to take advantage of the rare peaceful moment and catch up on some reading. He'd been holding on to a certain book for a while but hadn't got a chance to get started on it until then. Luckily, today was the perfect opportunity.

Settling back against the headboard of his bed with a satisfied smile, Riku started to read. Or, he tried-he really did. But his thoughts quickly distracted him, pulling him into deep contemplation after catching sight of the light streaming through his ocean blue curtains. His previous smile morphed into a pensive expression as he set his book to the side, on his little bedside table.

Days like this, when he was cooped up in his house and everyone else was outside, forced him to wonder.

Why was he so different?

It wasn't just about how he wanted to spend today. He had always been sort of different. Always, always, he'd acted a bit more serious and a bit more practical than the rest of his friends. When they were coming up with the best ways to pass their lazy summer days, he'd been the one to consider time and money restrictions along with all consequences to possible pranks to be pulled. He'd be the one to stay back when his friends wanted to go down to the beach on a whim because he didn't really feel like it and besides, he had other work to do anyway.

But really, that was simply an excuse. Honestly, he just didn't want to go. It wasn't like he hated spending time with his friends. Riku was just…tired is all. Tired and sad and feeling much too old for his body much too often. Thinking about it, he'd always felt that way to some extent. Maybe that was why he was so easily drawn into the darkness. Maybe it was a sign that he should've **stayed** in the darkness. Only he knew how much he had enjoyed it. Maybe it had been a mistake coming back?Maybe Sora and the King had been wrong about there being light in him…If he had ignored the temptation stayed obediently on the island would things be different?

Riku didn't think so. Things seemed to have gone on as usual over the time he'd been gone. The only difference seemed to be the absence of Sora and the fact that Kairi's days had gotten a little sadder and a whole lot lonelier for a while. Nobody else seemed to have cared or even noted his lack of presence. Nobody had missed him.

In fact, after he returned everything had seemed a whole lot duller to him. Now, more than ever was when he recalled why he had wanted to leave the islands in the first place. He'd been tired of the monotony, the boredom, and especially the strange looks he got from people. He was fed up with his friends' disappointed stares when he didn't want to take part in something childish, the adults' surprise at how mature he actually acted, and most of all, the exasperation with himself over the fact that he wouldn't do anything about either. But he had and that had backfired beautifully.

Although, it could be said that it was because even then he'd been unconsciously struggling to keep hold of the light. He had told everyone he embraced the darkness but the light had always made him want to keep a tight hold on it as well, like a nightlight on the darkest night of the year. If he went back…and accepted the darkness in him completely, rejecting the light at the same time…would things change? Be better?

Sora and Kairi would probably be happier off without a dangerous and depressing person like him around. And his family wouldn't have to worry about having such a reclusive son. Maybe they'd even be able to forget all about him and his problems. Maybe things would go right-or as right as they could with darkness involved-this time around. Riku didn't know.

However, what he _did_ know was that all these "maybes" were starting to piss him off. So, he decided to go outside for a bit. Of course, by outside he meant downstairs and into the kitchen for a snack. Who knows? Maybe fulfilling his hunger would lead to a way out of the circles his thoughts had taken to running lately.

Just as he was thinking this, Sora and Kairi burst through his door. Well, exploded would actually be more of the right word, seeing as the poor door was almost pulled off its hinges. Riku's grip on his book tightened ever so slightly as Kairi stormed up to him. "Riku, you lazy bum!" she shouted into his face. The book went up slightly as a shield. Sora came up behind the red-head and grinned down at his slightly shell-shocked silver-haired friend. "Hi, Riku!" he said brightly. Riku stared up at his (_annoying, stupid_, _nosy_) best friends.

"What do you want?" he asked tiredly. Kairi jabbed a finger at the brunette beside her. "Sora needs you to play with him." she said. Riku stared at her. "Kairi, much as he may act like one, Sora is _not_ a puppy, nor is he a small child. He does _not _need me to 'play'" here Riku used air quotes "with him. Besides, I'm busy." Sora cocked his head to one side. "What are you busy with?" He asked. Riku held up his book for inspection- _the history of the keyblade wars_- and shrugged. "Reading? In the _dark_?" Sora sounded shocked. Of course, being Sora, he probably was.

The brunette and red-head looked at each other and nodded. Two pairs of hands grabbed Riku's legs and a quick "heave!" from Sora, and suddenly Riku, and half the covers on his bed, were on the ground. He glowered up at the demons he called friends and rubbed his head where it had banged the headboard. "What do you _want_?" he demanded, again. The brunette smiled and tossed something at him. Deftly, Riku caught it before it could hit his face, and inspected the object. "Frozen yogurt. You came to my house, invaded, my privacy, and disturbed my reading, for _frozen_ _yogurt_?" Kairi's grin became wider and Sora grinned sheepishly. "Yup. Now, time to go outside." Sora caught his friend's hopeful look. "And by outside, we mean going into fresh air and sunshine." The brunette clarified. Sora earned a murderous look for his trouble. The silver-haired boy sighed. "I should have stayed in the Darkness." He said, but he was smiling. Sora grinned as he bent down, hand outstretched. "If you had done that, Kairi woulda gone there, and beaten your hide all the way back home!" Riku shuddered theatrically; he knew that the smaller boy most likely spoke the truth. He got up and allowed his friends to herd him up and out of his house.

As he walked down the street, he couldn't help but smile. Everything was like it used to be. Kairi yelling at them to hurry up, that they'd be eating just plain yogurt if they weren't careful. Sora grinning and chattering about who knew what; call him a bad friend, but he'd never paid attention. Finally, they got to where they needed to go. Their special place, the paupau tree. It was a good, thing, Riku reflected, that he had friends who actually cared. He ate his yogurt in silence, listening to the friendly not-quite-flirting of his friends.

He smiled, everything seemed to fit, this friend-ship, the day, the island. Even the flavors they chose in yogurt fit. Fitting them perfectly. Kairi liked the green tea flavor, reserved and sweet, while Sora liked vanilla with an ungodly amount of whipped-cream on top, sweet. While he, Riku, liked Lime. Tart but oh-so-sweet. "Hey, Riku?" he looked up, train of thought broken. "If you're sad, you can talk to us, ok? We're not gonna leave you, Riku, we're your friends!" he smiled at their concerned faces. "I know" he reassured them. _I_ _know_. He closed his eyes and turned his face up to the sky. The sun warmed his face, the _light_ warmed his face. And he remembered why he fought so hard in the first place to get back here, to get back to them, his friends. He hadn't forgotten, but sometimes it's good to be reminded of things, even if you already know, even if it's so obvious to you. He smiled and once again said, "I know." it was good to have friends.

**Yo! Kirra here. I've got a few things ta say, so listen up! (cuz I don't normally leave messages. Ever.) this is a JOINT fic, as in, half was done by someone else. In this case, it was mah best friend on this site, the awesome Airway Static. Look at Static's work! It rocks X) she did the first half- beginning to Sora and Kairi-and I did the rest. Tell us both what you thought! Probably best to pm Static, cuz she won't see these comments ;) ok, I'm done. Kirra over an' out. See ya!**


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